France intercepts a tanker from Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, a network of old vessels using false flags and dark shipping to bypass Ukraine war sanctions
PARIS: France’s interception of an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” highlights how these vessels operate to evade Western sanctions.
Russia has reportedly built a flotilla of old oil tankers with opaque ownership to circumvent sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions, including a price cap on Russian crude, have blocked many tankers from Western insurance and shipping systems.
The EU has banned 598 vessels from its ports and services, while the US lists 183 and asserts an extraterritorial right to act against them.
The “shadow fleet” obscures vessel ownership and uses management companies outside Russia and flags of convenience.
Vessels often turn off their Automatic Identification Systems to go “dark” at sea for ship-to-ship oil transfers.
Many vessels are old, making them easier to write off if seized or if they cause oil spills.
A December report by the Kyiv School of Economics found 78% of monitored shadow-fleet tankers were older than 15 years.
“The top three flags used by Russian shadow-fleet vessels transporting crude oil are false/unknown flag, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon,” it stated.
Management companies are located in the United Arab Emirates, the Seychelles, Mauritius, and the Marshall Islands.
The report also noted that “India remains the biggest Russian seaborne crude importer with 40% share in total Russian exports”.
The US escalated sanctions against Russia’s oil industry and shadow fleet in early January.
US forces seized a tanker in the Atlantic on January 7, which the White House said was “deemed stateless after flying a false flag”.
Russia said on Tuesday the US had not released two Russian crew members from that tanker.
The EU is considering expanding its powers to board shadow-fleet vessels, according to an October document.
The French navy boarded a suspected shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean on Thursday.
President Emmanuel Macron said the vessel, “coming from Russia, was subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag”.
Britain provided tracking and monitoring support for the French interception.
When France detained a Russian-linked ship in September, President Vladimir Putin condemned the move as “piracy”.
After the US seizure, Russia’s foreign ministry warned it could “result in further military and political tensions”.